Hell no! And foolishly I believed that....until yesterday.

Beauty is teething. She's been teething since she was 3 months old, which hasn't been a challenge until now. Now she's getting her molars, and she is short on patience.....very short.

Yesterday began as any other day: We woke, we played, she "signed" me she was finished and I knew it was time to eat. We went downstairs, I made her yogurt with fruit and all the healthy goodies I hide (tastes like fruit when I'm finished) inside, made a bottle of milk, and we both sat down to eat -I had my smoothie in hand. She drank about 4 ounces of milk, ate maybe 1/4 of her yogurt and she signed she was finished. Ugh.

I worry. I worry too much, I'm sure, but I feel like I *need* to get these vitamins into her body in order for her to be healthy. With my background in holistic nutrition, I know how important food is in keeping us healthy. I suppose that puts a little extra pressure on me. Once your eyes are opened and you have the knowledge, there is no turning it off.

So, she ate a bit, but not much. I tried to get her to eat more by being creative (airplanes and spirals with the spoon), but that only lasts so long. She was finished, and she meant it. Finished. No if's, and's or but's. When Beauty says she's finished, believe her.

Lunch went much the same way. She fought me on the yogurt and the milk, but ate the egg with pleasure. Thank goodness she ate something without giving me grief!

Now, when I tell you Beauty "fought" me about something, I mean she screams, cries, tantrums, smacks my hands away, pinches me, etc. Not to be mean, but because she is frustrated....just like me. We're both frustrated. My Goddess, we are so much alike it's scary!

I read on my Peaceful Parenting Facebook page that if you "meet" her in this power struggle, you're only reinforcing that behavior, so I do my best to keep that tip in the back of my mind while I go through my day.

Anyway, this is how the rest of my day went. She didn't want to eat what I wanted to feed her, she didn't want to lay down as I changed her diaper. She wasn't tolerant of me at all. By the time we were driving home from the park, I was done. DONE. In my head I knew that as soon as I got home, I was handing Beauty to my husband and running upstairs to be by myself. And that is exactly what I did. Well, after I stuffed Terra Chips in my face. ;)

No, it's not all about what I, or any other caregiver, eats. Somedays, no matter how hard we try, our patience wear thin, and we need a break.

I needed a break. We all need breaks. All of us. This is why when we go to work outside the home, we get breaks and days off. If we didn't, we would end up hating our beloved career. My chiropractor once said to me, "Colleen, I love my job, but if I didn't get a break, I would end up hating it."

No, I don't "hate" mothering. I love mothering my Beauty. I "hate" when I feel short tempered or frustrated. I "hate" when I take out my frustrations on my innocent daughter.

Yesterday I learned for the gazillionth time that I need a break everyday -even if I feel great. And I deserve that break. As do we all. :)

Eat your healthy food, and give yourself a much deserved, and much needed break. Love yourself first, and loving everyone else will come so much easier.

Sunshine & kisses, Colleen

P.S. I'm going to the spa on Sunday for foot reflexology, and I am so excited! I'm going to do a treatment ($40 and under) once a week...for me. Because I'm worth it, and so is my Beauty. Yay!